Prime Minister’s Message on the Occasion of Good Friday 2022

MESSAGE TO THE NATION FROM

DR THE HONOURABLE KEITH ROWLEY

PRIME MINISTER OF THE REPUBLIC OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

ON THE OCCASION OF

GOOD FRIDAY 2022

I extend Good Friday Greetings to all on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, my family, and myself as Prime Minister.

At this time two of the world’s largest religious communities are celebrating holy festivals. Last week, you may recall I extended Greetings to the Muslim community at the beginning of the month of Ramadan, which is considered by its members as the time in which they can search, expand and deepen their spiritual connections.

Today, I extend greetings to the Christian community, as its members observe Good Friday, marking the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ at Calvary. This is part of Holy Week, in which the Passion narrative begins with Christ’s triumphant return to Jerusalem onto his crucifixion, death and eventual resurrection on the glorious Sunday.

Within that Passion narrative, there are aspects, which I find are especially relevant in this country’s present circumstance – Christ’s Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane and the Stations of the Cross, or the Way of Sorrows. There we see Jesus being tested, suffering, bearing and enduring, even questioning himself — yet displaying the virtue of patience which is required when one confronts difficulties in their own life’s journey. Jesus’s agony here needs to be read and re-read, for it stands as an example to us all.

Trinidad and Tobago, hopefully, has just come through the worst of the ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic, but we must be alert, watching the virus cautiously, because of the new upsurge in China.

Now, we are facing the consequences of the war in Ukraine, which many thought initially would be unrelated to our world, but that, along with the supply chain crisis, continues to cause worldwide shifts in food and fuel prices which will touch every pocket, every household — across the globe.

We in Trinidad and Tobago, are not immune, for these consequences will be felt worldwide for some time to come. This is why the Passion narrative of Christ has relevance in our daily lives.

The world today, some say, exists in “The Age of the Unthinkable” in which every day there are complex and confounding challenges facing us all. These challenges could be interpreted as that “Awakening Moment” for every citizen, that time in which we all could go into ourselves, searching deeply for the higher awareness, and its sublime truths, opening ourselves to the invisible presence of God in our lives.

We know that some of our citizens may be feeling at this point, down, fearful, stressed, exhausted and depleted, but this Good Friday could be that “Moment” in which we can replenish ourselves, turning for solace and hope in the spiritual path of life, recognising that there are good and bad, light and darkness and that we will get over these difficult days.

Which one we chose, Fellow Citizens, is all up to us, nationally and individually.

We must seek that process of refining, making God’s presence real in our daily lives, we will then find that higher plane, above a life of turbulence, being replaced by one of elation, a buoyancy and inner peace.

Fellow citizens, find some time today, to surrender to that stirring, human impulse within you, saying something pleasant, and being kind and generous to those around you. In so doing we will throw away the words of the hateful who constantly invite us into negative hopelessness when such blessed hope is available.

Make it a point today, to find a special moment to show love, care and compassion to others, and display your overall love of humanity.

Holy Good Friday to all citizens.